UN votes to condemn US embargo against Cuba

The United Nations General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly to denounce the United States’ five-decade-old embargo against Cuba.

On Tuesday, a record 188 countries at the General Assembly voted to condemn the US sanctions against Cuba.

“The US policy against Cuba is suffering from an absolute international isolation and discredit and lacks every ethical or legal ground,” Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla said.

Several envoys from around the world also slammed Washington’s policy.

China’s Deputy UN Ambassador Wang Min told the General Assembly debate, “The call of the international community is getting louder and louder, demanding that the US government change its policy toward Cuba.”

Meanwhile, Bolivia’s UN Ambassador Sacha Llorenty Soliz stated that the embargo is “sullying the history of mankind.”

European countries also oppose the embargo against Cuba since US legislation punishes foreign companies, including the European ones, that trade with Cuba.

Havana and Washington have been at odds since the Cuban revolution, led by Fidel Castro, toppled Fulgencio Batista’s regime in 1959. The US started imposing measures on the same year and placed an official embargo against Cuba in 1962.

Parrilla further said that Havana has lost over $1.1 trillion dollars because of the embargo, adding that the blockade has prevented his country from gaining access to heart and anti-AIDS medication for children.

Speaking at the General Assembly in 2012, the Cuban foreign minister had said that after the 2008 US election, President Barack Obama had promised a new beginning with Cuba but “the reality of the last four years has been characterized by a persistent tightening of the economic, commercial, and financial blockade.”